


Sixteen

by fire_sprite



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Birthday, Fluff, Mentions of 60s Spider-Man, could be platonic or romantic, mentions of Titanic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-01
Updated: 2018-07-01
Packaged: 2019-05-31 15:14:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15122162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fire_sprite/pseuds/fire_sprite
Summary: Sixteen things that happen, accordingly, the day Peter Parker turns sixteen.





	Sixteen

_12:01 AM._

The Spider Suit lights up from within its balled-up position in the closet. Light ripples across the fabric for an instant, and then disappears, leaving no trace that anything at all has happened to the suit.

 

_3:03 AM._

Outside the Parker apartment, a birthday present is dropped with a quiet _thump_ on the welcome mat, courtesy of the Stark Tech’s delivery service. A few seconds later,  a black limousine drives smoothly and discreetly away, or, at least, as discreet as a limo can become. (Later, Peter will whoop with excitement at the sight of a copy of his own file in S.H.I.E.L.D. records. It’s satisfying to see him become a registered hero in the government’s books, and it’s as much a present to him as anything).

 

_4:39 AM._

Ned and Peter, finally glancing over at the clock, suddenly realize Peter is now a full year older, and proceed to bemoan their missing the time. Ned envelops Peter in a full body hug and says something along the lines of “can’t believe my baby’s all grown up and ready to kill people!” Peter tells him off for misquoting _Mulan,_ but succumbs to the hug anyway.

 

_8:21 AM._

Aunt May wakes up the very tired pair of friends with both breakfast she bought and food she attempted to make herself. Although the birthday waffles didn’t survive Aunt May’s kitchen, the recently purchased Dunkin Donuts and her (not half bad, actually) hashbrowns did, and Ned and Peter devour them with a muffled “Thanks, Aunt May!” each.

 

_9:18 AM._

_The Daily Bugle_ is delivered, and with it comes a very grudgingly-written dedication to Spider-Man on the back page. (When asked about this, Jonah Jameson will say, “he’s a menace with a birthday, so what?”)

 

_10:43 AM._

MJ smirks as she scribbles down her name and something sarcastic on the back of a birthday card. The card displays a Labrador decked in a hat and confetti, and wishes Peter a “paw-fect” birthday in colorful block lettering. MJ drops the envelope off at the apartment. Peter gives them a hug and resolves to open it later.

 

_11:00 AM._

Peter Quill is woken up by the beeping of his watch, and he grins from over a million miles away from Earth. He hopes that the other Peter is having a great birthday.

 

_12:27 PM._

In his room, Ned puts the finishing touches on Peter’s birthday present. It’s a pair of goggles that Peter can utilize outside the suit, made to look like sunglasses. It’s a fair bit less incriminating for Peter than carrying around his Spider Suit wherever he goes, and not only does it provide eye protection and X-ray scanners for starters, it does it in style.

 

_1:56 PM._

Peter, going for a swing downtown and trying to master the new capabilities his suit has suddenly gained, encounters a piece of paper taped up high on the brick walls. The Sharpie scrawls don’t give a name, but it does give a hearty “THANK YOU SPIDER-MAN!!!!!!!!!!” with several lines underneath.  Peter also appreciates the two Snickers bars taped to it, and draws a smiley face on the sheet as a token of his gratitude, signing it only with “S.M.”

 

_2:21 PM._

Thor gathers the rest of the Avengers to make a group-signed birthday card. He also adds several smiley faces around his signature and tries to make sure everyone does the same. (Everyone does not do the same. Clint, for example, draws his smiley faces with bows and arrows.)

The group then makes Sam deliver it, who scares the living daylights out of Aunt May when he lands too hard on the small balcony outside the kitchen.

 

_3:47 PM._

While Peter stops a bike theft, someone takes a picture of him, and captions it with “spider-man out here really doing the absolute most on his birthday. let him REST”. Within a few hours, #letspidermanrest becomes one of New York’s most trending hashtags.

 

_4:53 PM._

On the other side of the world, Natasha remembers something Peter said, something vague about “being spider buddies,” and she allows herself a small grin before continuing her mission. After all, she can’t let her spider buddy down by failing.

 

_5:42 PM._

Peter, done with being the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man for the day, perched on a balcony in his Spider Suit, finally opens MJ’s card. Hundreds of terrible 60s Spider-Man memes fall out of the envelope, and he just about dies laughing while trying to call MJ.

 

_6:11 PM._

Peter, out of his suit and relaxing downtown, catches a sight of Flash. They exchange hesitant waves, and then proceed to walk away quickly. Which, considering last year, is an honest improvement.

 

_7:30 PM._

Aunt May, Ned, and MJ throw a surprise party for Peter when he comes home. The cake, decked with an unholy amount of frosting, nearly becomes victim of a food fight, but when you have three hungry teenagers, food never stays uneaten for long, and the sugary mess is devoured soon. Hours later, Peter curls up with Ned and MJ, watching _Titanic_ ironically, (and only half really listening to it), and, along with the other two, eventually drifts off to sleep, sprawled on the couch.

 

_10:37 PM._

Peter dreams.

Now, his dream is not memorable in the long run. It is not scary, or adventurous, or emotional. It is simply soft, a flurry of colors mixing together to create a sleepy pastel dreamscape. Peter dreams in shades of pink and blue and yellow, and they finally give him his well-deserved rest.

**Author's Note:**

> Our boy could use some rest, huh?


End file.
